The clean sweep fan brush, You Really Need (OK, Want) These Makeup Brushes

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How to use it: The fan brush is one of those tools that baffles people. It's a funny shape and the notion of applying any form of makeup on such a wide swatch of your face seems strange. Ironically, this brush is perfect if you tend to get heavy handed with blush or bronzer because it delivers just a light sweep of product. There are a lot of fan brushes out there, but I love the Tarte Fanatic Bamboo Fanned Blush Brush more than any other beauty tool. This brush was designed to sweep away the stray bits of eye shadow/glitter that falls from your lids, but you can also use it when you want a light application of bronzer, blush, or highlighter. For bronzer, hold the brush so the fan is vertical to your face and sweep it, starting from your ears, down your cheekbones. Then, sweep over any area where the sun naturally hits your face. Dip the edge in highlighter and hold it so that the edge is facing you, then sweep the edge over the tops of your cheekbones and down your nose. Use a clean fan brush to apply your favorite face mask -- the brush provides a thin, even application you end up using less product.

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Many people reach for a giant, fluffy brush to apply a finishing powder, but a medium-sized brush, like the Clinique Powder Brush gets the job done better because it allows you to hit all those hard-to-reach places. Use it to sweep powder over your t-zone to keep oil at bay, under your eyes to prevent concealer from creasing, or all over for a full-faced makeup look. Plus, a medium-sized brush takes up less space in your purse, leaving more room for other necessities (like lip gloss or pepper spray).

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The silicone 'brush' that keeps glitter in line

It is my personal belief that sparkly eyes are appropriate year-round. What's not so hot? Glitter spread from ear to ear. The small, silicone dome on this Make Up For Ever Pointed Silicone Applicator collects the powder or glitter and delivers it directly to your lids, without sprinkling it all over your face.

You know what looks great with glittery makeup? False lashes. (Hey, go big or go home.) The beveled end on this brush is great for pushing a strip of falsies along your lash line. It also scoops things like concealer and gel liner out of containers like nobody's business (perfect for those last dregs of a coveted product that you can't dig out with your fingers).

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The crease brush that politely gets out of your way

This handy Japonesque 150 Degree Application Crease Brush is bent for a comfortable, precise application of shadow to the crease of your eyelid. The genius bend in the brush makes it easier to see what you're doing because your hand doesn't get in the way.

This teeny brush doubles as a blending brush. You can also use it to apply highlighter under brow bones and in the inner corner of eyes -- just be sure to clean the eye shadow off before multi-purposing it.

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The blender brush for perfect smoky eyes

A smoky eye always beats a bold lip for a night out for me. But nothing is worse than spending 30 minutes precisely applying five shades of eye shadow, only to ruin the whole look when you're blending them. A blending brush, like the eye shadow brush in the Sonia Kashuk for Meaningful Beauty Collection, should always be cleared of all product before you use it. (Because, duh, you don't want to deposit some other random color on your eye). Blend shadows together softly over lid and into your crease with short, back-and-forth movements and small circles for a sultry smoky eye. Look for a blending brush with short, fluffy bristles in a slightly rounded shape.

Here's the ugly truth about makeup for most of us: you can spend a fortune on the best products, but if you're using the wrong tools to apply it, your makeup will never have the flawless look you expect from a $75 foundation. I had this epiphany recently. I was wandering through Sephora (because it's my happy place) and there it was: the giant display of makeup brushes. The one that takes up an entire row; the one I usually walk right past. But I've had profound doubts about my makeup lately, so I stopped to browse. What, exactly, does a Brush #57 do? Is that funny egg-shaped sponge worth a few bucks?

I'm not prone to hyperbole, so I won't say the teeny concealer blending brush (a.k.a. #57) I bought changed my life, but I will say the blending and coverage it offers is 10 times better than anything I've ever done with my fingers or the little flat brush I used before, and I was using the same exact concealer I've always used. Little 'ol #57 changed my entire view on makeup brushes and kick-started this foray into discovering the other brushes I've been missing out on. If you're looking to update your makeup brush set, see how one or two new brushes and can make over your makeup routine.

You Really Need (OK, Want) These Makeup Brushes

See how one or two new brushes can completely make over your makeup routine

The clean sweep fan brush

The not-so-fluffy powder brush

The silicone "brush" that keeps glitter in line

The crease brush that politely gets out of your way

The blender brush for perfect smoky eyes

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